Why in news?

• The Maldives government suspended three deputy ministers after they took to social media to make derogatory remarks against PM Modi.

Background:

• Social media war
  • It all started with a series of posts on X from Indian Prime Minister, promoting tourism in Lakshadweep islands.
  • Soon after PM Modi’s post, some prominent Maldivian social media users responded to it with offensive, racist, xenophobic and derogatory comments.
    • These comments were targeted at Indians at large, as well as the Indian PM.
  • Among them were the three Maldivian Ministers
• Accusation against India by the social media users of Maldives
  • Some Maldivian social media users began levelling accusations against India of attempting to compete with their country as a choice for a tropical vacation for travellers.
  • These posts also instigated other social media users into posting a wide range of racist remarks against Indians and Indian tourists who travel to the Maldives.

What’s in today’s article?

• Lakshadweep
• Significance of Lakshadweep for India
• Dependency of Maldives on tourism
• Anti-India sentiments among a section of the Maldives’ population

Lakshadweep

• 
• About
  • India’s smallest Union Territory Lakshadweep is an archipelago consisting of 36 islands with an area of 32 sq km.
  • It is a uni-district UT and is comprised of 12 atolls, three reefs, five submerged banks and ten inhabited islands.
  • The capital is Kavaratti and it is also the principal town of the UT.
• Geographical location
  • It is located between 8º – 12º 13″ North latitude and 71º – 74º East longitude, 220 to 440 Kms. away from the coastal city of Kochi in Kerala.
    • The maritime boundary between the Maldives and Minicoy (India) runs through the Eight Degree Channel.
    • Nine Degree Channel separates the island of Minicoy from the main Lakshadweep archipelago.
• Coral Atolls
• The islands are predominantly coral atolls, formed by coral reefs that surround a lagoon.
• Demography
  • According to the 2011 Census, Lakshadweep has a population of 64429 persons.
  • More than 93% of the population who are indigenous, are Muslims and majority of them belong to the Shafi School of the Sunni Sect.
  • Malayalam is spoken in all the islands except Minicoy where people speak Mahl which is written in Divehi script and is spoken in Maldives also.
  • The entire indigenous population has been classified as Scheduled Tribes.
    • There are no Scheduled Castes in this Union Territory.
• Climate
  • The climate of Lakshadweep is tropical, with a warm and humid climate throughout the year.

Significance of Lakshadweep for India

• Strategic Location
  • Its proximity to major international shipping routes enhances India's strategic maritime influence.
    • Nine Degree Channel is the important passage for shipping between Middle East, Europe and Western Asia with Southeast Asia.
• Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
• The islands contribute to India's EEZ, granting the country rights over the exploration and use of marine resources in the surrounding waters.
  • Due to Maldives, India gets access to 20000 square kilometres of sea.
• This includes fisheries, oil and gas exploration, and other economic activities.
• Maritime Security
  • The Indian Navy and Coast Guard use the islands as a base.
• Economic significance
  • The picturesque beauty of Lakshadweep makes it a significant tourist destination.
  • The islands contribute to India's overall fishery resources.
• Biodiversity and Marine Life
  • The coral atolls and surrounding waters of Lakshadweep are home to diverse marine life, including coral reefs and various fish species.

Dependency of Maldives on tourism

• The Maldives is heavily dependent on tourism and the industry accounts for over 28 percent of its GDP.
• According to official figures by the Maldives’ government, Indian tourists have consistently remained among the top ten nationalities who travel to the island every year.
• In 2023 alone, among the tourists who travelled to the Maldives, Indians formed the largest group of tourists with over 200,000 travellers.
  • This was followed by tourists from Russia and China.

Anti-India sentiments among a section of the Maldives’ population

• Sometime in 2020, the India Out campaign started as on-ground protests in the Maldives which later spread widely across social media platforms.
• By the second half of 2021, it had developed into an active and visible political campaign.
• The supporters of the campaign had claimed that it had been started to protest against what they called Indian military presence in the country.
  • They had actively targeted all aspects of India-Maldives bilateral relations.
• In December 2023, on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit, the President Muizzu said that India’s government has agreed to withdraw its soldiers from the Maldives
  • These soldiers were in the country to operate and manage two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft given to the Maldives by India.